Technology continues to develop new types of tape for specific applications. Adhesive backed clear or translucent tape has been used for years in wrapping packages and for other purposes. No handyman would be able to get along without a roll of “duct tape,” which is used for many other utilitarian purposes besides sealing the seams where metal ducts are joined together. The properties of the adhesive backing on a specific tape often relate to the intended functionality or application of the tape, but in many cases, tape originally manufactured for one purpose is equally useful in many other applications. As a result of the wide-spread use of tape that is sold in rolls, a typical household will include several different types.
A tape dispenser can be very useful in facilitating the use of a roll of tape, since the dispenser may provide a sharp or serrated edge for tearing the tape from a roll after a desired length has been unrolled. The surface of this edge also helps by retaining the tag end of the tape until another length is dispensed from the roll. However, the adhesive on the tag end may not retain the end on the surface provided where the last piece of tape was torn or cut away. Also, rolls of tape are often sold or used without a dispenser. In either case, it is common for the tag end of the tape to adherently attach itself to the tape still on the roll, so that the tag end is not provided to the user so that it can be readily grasped when dispensing another desired length of tape.
While some types of tape are sufficiently thick so that the tag end of the tape is readily apparent by touch, the tag end that is adhered to the roll of tape for thinner tapes can be more difficult to locate. If provided the opportunity, a user can simply turn under a corner of the tape before it attaches itself to the roll. However, that option is not always available, if the user releases the tag end before the corner can be turned under. It can be extremely frustrating to search for the end of the tape so that more tape can be dispensed from a roll under these conditions, since the end of many types of tapes is almost invisible once the tape has self-adhered to the underlying roll of tape. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a way to more readily visually perceive where the tag end of the tape is disposed at such times.